The 1965 NBA draft was the 19th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 6, 1965, before the 1965–66 season.
In this draft, nine NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players. A player who had finished his four-year college eligibility was eligible for selection. If a player left college early, he would not be eligible for selection until his college class graduated. Teams that finished last in each division, the San Francisco Warriors and the New York Knicks, were awarded the first four picks in the draft. The remaining first-round picks and the subsequent rounds were assigned to teams in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season.
Before the draft, a team could forfeit its first-round draft pick and then select any player from within a 50-mile radius of its home arena as their territorial pick.[2][3] The draft consisted of 17 rounds comprising 112 players selected. This draft was the last in which the territorial pick rule remained in effect before it was eliminated prior to the 1966 draft.[4]
Draft selections and draftee career notes
Bill Bradley, Bill Buntin and Gail Goodrich were selected before the draft as New York Knicks‘, Detroit Pistons‘ and Los Angeles Lakers‘ territorial picks respectively. Fred Hetzel from Davidson College was selected first overall by the San Francisco Warriors. Rick Barry from the University of Miami, who went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award in his first season, was drafted second by the Warriors.[5] Four players from this draft, Barry, Bradley, Goodrich and fifth pick Billy Cunningham, have been inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame.[6] Barry and Cunningham were also named in the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History list announced at the league’s 50th anniversary in 1996.[7]
The Los Angeles Lakers had intended on selecting Wayne Estes, a Montana native who played for the Utah State Aggies, in the first round. However, Estes died on February 8, 1965, aged 21, when he was electrocuted by a downed wire at the scene of an auto accident he and teammates were visiting. Less than two hours before dying, Estes completed a game where he scored 48 points; his 47th point of the game was also the 2,000th of his college career.[8]
Barry’s achievements include one NBA championship with the Warriors in 1975, one Finals MVP, five All-NBA Team selections and four All-Star Game selections.[9] Cunningham’s achievements include an NBA championship with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1967, four All-NBA Team selections and four All-Star Game selections.[10] He also played two seasons in the American Basketball Association (ABA) with the Carolina Cougars. In his first season there, he won the ABA Most Valuable Player Award and was selected to the ABA All-Star Game and All-ABA Team.[11] He later coached the 76ers for eight seasons and won the NBA championship in 1983.[12] Goodrich’s achievements include an NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1972, one All-NBA Team selection and five All-Star Game selections.[13] Bradley, who spent all of his 10-year playing career with the Knicks, won the NBA championships twice in 1970 and 1973 and was also selected to one All-Star Game.[14] Bradley became a successful politician after retiring from basketball. He was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate for 18 years. He was also a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2000, losing to incumbent Vice President Al Gore in the presidential primaries.[15]
Bob Love, the 33rd pick, was selected to two All-NBA Teams and three All-Star Games.[16] Jerry Sloan, the 4th pick, was selected to two All-Star Games during his playing career before becoming a head coach. He coached the Chicago Bulls for three seasons before being fired during the 1981–82 season. He then became the head coach of the Utah Jazz in 1988, the position he held until resigning in early 2011.[17] He has been inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach.[6] Twin brothers Dick and Tom Van Arsdale, who were drafted with the 10th and 11th picks, became the first set of twins to play in the NBA.[18][19] Each of them had three All-Star Game selections. They played for different NBA teams until their last season, which they spent together as a member of the Phoenix Suns.[20][21] Dick Van Arsdale also had a coaching career. He was the interim head coach of the Suns in 1987.[22] Two other players from this draft, 15th pick Flynn Robinson and 24th pick Jon McGlocklin, have also been selected to an All-Star Game.[23][24] Bob Weiss, the 22nd pick, also became a head coach after ending his playing career. He coached four NBA teams, most recently with the Seattle SuperSonics.[25] Tal Brody, the 12th pick, never played in the NBA. He joined Israel I club Maccabi Tel Aviv in 1966 and played there until his retirement in 1980, winning several Israeli league titles and a European Cup Championship in 1977. He also became an Israeli citizen and played for Israeli national team.[26][27] Aside from playing in the NBA, 20th pick Ron Reed also played professional baseball in the Major League Baseball (MLB). He ended his dual-sport career in 1967 to focus on baseball.[28] He played 19 seasons in the MLB with three teams, winning the World Series once. He was also an MLB All-Star.[29] He is one of only 12 athletes who have played in both NBA and MLB.[30][31][32]
Key
| Pos. | G | F | C |
| Position | Guard | Forward | Center |
| ^ | Denotes player who has been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| * | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game and All-NBA Team |
| + | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game |
| # | Denotes player who has never appeared in an NBA regular-season or playoff game |
| ~ | Denotes player who has been selected as Rookie of the Year |
Draft

| Rnd. | Pick | Player | Pos. | Nationality[n 1] | Team | School / club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T | – | Bill Bradley^ | G/F | New York Knicks | Princeton (Sr.) | |
| T | – | Bill Buntin | F/C | Detroit Pistons | Michigan (Sr.) | |
| T | – | Gail Goodrich^ | G | Los Angeles Lakers | UCLA (Sr.) | |
| 1 | 1 | Fred Hetzel | F/C | San Francisco Warriors | Davidson (Sr.) | |
| 1 | 2 | Rick Barry^~ | F | San Francisco Warriors | Miami (FL) (Sr.) | |
| 1 | 3 | Dave Stallworth | F/C | New York Knicks | Wichita State (Sr.) | |
| 1 | 4 | Jerry Sloan^ | G/F | Baltimore Bullets | Evansville (Sr.) | |
| 1 | 5 | Billy Cunningham^ | F/C | Philadelphia 76ers | North Carolina (Sr.) | |
| 1 | 6 | Jim Washington | F/C | St. Louis Hawks | Villanova (Sr.) | |
| 1 | 7 | Nate Bowman | C | Cincinnati Royals | Wichita State (Sr.) | |
| 1 | 8 | Ollie Johnson# | C | Boston Celtics | San Francisco (Sr.) | |
| 2 | 9 | Wilbert Frazier | F/C | San Francisco Warriors | Grambling (Sr.) | |
| 2 | 10 | Dick Van Arsdale+ | G/F | New York Knicks | Indiana (Sr.) | |
| 2 | 11 | Tom Van Arsdale+ | G/F | Detroit Pistons | Indiana (Sr.) | |
| 2 | 12 | Tal Brody# | G | Baltimore Bullets | Illinois (Sr.) | |
| 2 | 13 | Jesse Branson | F | Philadelphia 76ers | Elon (Sr.) | |
| 2 | 14 | Hal Blevins# | G | New York Knicks (from St. Louis) | Arkansas AM&N (Sr.) | |
| 2 | 15 | Flynn Robinson+ | G | Cincinnati Royals | Wyoming (Sr.) | |
| 2 | 16 | John Fairchild | F | Los Angeles Lakers | Brigham Young (Sr.) | |
| 2 | 17 | Ron Watts | F | Boston Celtics | Wake Forest (Sr.) | |
| 3 | 18 | Keith Erickson | G/F | San Francisco Warriors | UCLA (Sr.) | |
| 3 | 19 | Barry Clemens | F | New York Knicks | Ohio Wesleyan (Sr.) | |
| 3 | 20 | Ron Reed | F | Detroit Pistons | Notre Dame (Sr.) | |
| 3 | 21 | Joe Newton# | F | Baltimore Bullets | Auburn (Sr.) | |
| 3 | 22 | Bob Weiss | G | Philadelphia 76ers | Pennsylvania State (Sr.) | |
| 3 | 23 | Ken McIntyre# | G | St. Louis Hawks | St. John’s (Sr.) | |
| 3 | 24 | Jon McGlocklin+ | G/F | Cincinnati Royals | Indiana (Sr.) | |
| 3 | 25 | Jim Caldwell | C | Los Angeles Lakers | Georgia Tech (Sr.) | |
| 3 | 26 | Toby Kimball | F/C | Boston Celtics | Connecticut (Sr.) | |
| 4 | 27 | Warren Rustand# | G | San Francisco Warriors | Arizona (Sr.) | |
| 4 | 28 | Larry Lembo# | G | New York Knicks | Manhattan (Sr.) | |
| 4 | 29 | Jim King# | F | Detroit Pistons | Oklahoma State (Sr.) | |
| 4 | 30 | Skip Thoren# | C | Baltimore Bullets | Illinois (Sr.) | |
| 4 | 31 | Hank Finkel | C | Philadelphia 76ers | Dayton (Jr.) | |
| 4 | 32 | Lynn Nance# | F | St. Louis Hawks | Washington (Sr.) | |
| 4 | 33 | Bob Love* | F | Cincinnati Royals | Southern (Sr.) | |
| 4 | 34 | Brooks Henderson# | G | Los Angeles Lakers | Florida (Sr.) | |
| 4 | 35 | Richie Tarrant# | G | Boston Celtics | Saint Michael’s (Sr.) | |
| 5 | 36 | Eddie Jackson# | C | San Francisco Warriors | Oklahoma City (Sr.) | |
| 5 | 37 | Steve Nisenson# | G | New York Knicks | Hofstra (Sr.) | |
| 5 | 38 | Ted Manning# | F | Detroit Pistons | North Carolina College (Sr.) | |
| 5 | 39 | Charles Dinkins# | F | Baltimore Bullets | Miami (Ohio) (Sr.) | |
| 5 | 40 | Richie Moore# | G | Philadelphia 76ers | Villanova (Sr.) | |
| 5 | 41 | Ted Werner# | C | St. Louis Hawks | Washington State (Sr.) | |
| 5 | 42 | Warren Isaac# | F | Cincinnati Royals | Iona (Sr.) | |
| 5 | 43 | A.W. Davis# | F | Los Angeles Lakers | Tennessee (Sr.) | |
| 5 | 44 | Don Davidson# | F | Boston Celtics | Davidson (Sr.) | |
| 6 | 45 | Jim Jarvis# | G | San Francisco Warriors | Oregon State (Sr.) | |
| 6 | 46 | Warren Davis# | F | New York Knicks | Allentown Jets (EPBL) | |
| 6 | 47 | Barry Smith# | G | Detroit Pistons | High Point (Sr.) | |
| 6 | 48 | Lyvonne LeFlore# | F | Baltimore Bullets | Jackson State (Sr.) | |
| 6 | 49 | Mitch Edwards# | F | Philadelphia 76ers | Pan American (Sr.) | |
| 6 | 50 | John Rambo# | F | St. Louis Hawks | Long Beach State (Sr.) | |
| 6 | 51 | Leon Clements# | F | Cincinnati Royals | Ouachita Baptist (Sr.) | |
| 6 | 52 | Teófilo Cruz# | F | Los Angeles Lakers | Seattle (Sr.) | |
| 6 | 53 | Haskell Tison# | C | Boston Celtics | Duke (Sr.) | |
| 7 | 54 | Don Wolthers# | F | San Francisco Warriors | California (Sr.) | |
| 7 | 55 | Dale Neel# | F | New York Knicks | High Point (Sr.) | |
| 7 | 56 | Willie Somerset | G | Baltimore Bullets | Duquesne (Sr.) | |
| 7 | 57 | John Young# | F | Philadelphia 76ers | Midwestern (Sr.) | |
| 7 | 58 | Terry Kunze# | G | St. Louis Hawks | Minnesota (Sr.) | |
| 7 | 59 | Jeff Gehring# | F | Cincinnati Royals | Miami (Ohio) (Sr.) | |
| 7 | 60 | DeWayne Cruse# | F | Los Angeles Lakers | Idaho State (Sr.) | |
| 7 | 61 | George Deehan# | F | Boston Celtics | Lenoir–Rhyne (Sr.) | |
| 8 | 62 | Willie Cotton# | F | San Francisco Warriors | Central Oklahoma (Sr.) | |
| 8 | 63 | Frank Granat# | C | New York Knicks | Missionary Training Institute (Sr.) | |
| 8 | 64 | Jim Murphy# | G | Baltimore Bullets | DePaul (Sr.) | |
| 8 | 65 | Bob Barnek# | G | Philadelphia 76ers | St. Bonaventure (Sr.) | |
| 8 | 66 | Cincy Powell# | F | St. Louis Hawks | Portland (Sr.) | |
| 8 | 67 | Jim Fox | F/C | Cincinnati Royals | South Carolina (Sr.) | |
| 8 | 68 | George Unseld# | F | Los Angeles Lakers | Kansas (Sr.) | |
| 9 | 69 | Jay Neary# | G | New York Knicks | UNC Wilmington (Sr.) | |
| 9 | 70 | John Wendelken# | G | Baltimore Bullets | Holy Cross (Sr.) | |
| 9 | 71 | Gene West# | F | Philadelphia 76ers | Drake (Sr.) | |
| 9 | 72 | LeRoy Walker# | G | St. Louis Hawks | Utah State (Sr.) | |
| 9 | 73 | Ron Krick# | F | Cincinnati Royals | Cincinnati (Sr.) | |
| 9 | 74 | Mal Pradd# | G | Los Angeles Lakers | Dillard (Sr.) | |
| 10 | 75 | Wayne Molis | F | New York Knicks | Lewis (Sr.) | |
| 10 | 76 | Bogie Redmon# | F | Baltimore Bullets | Illinois (Sr.) | |
| 10 | 77 | Dean Church# | G | Philadelphia 76ers | Southwestern Louisiana (Sr.) | |
| 10 | 78 | Spencer Carlson# | F | St. Louis Hawks | Baylor (Sr.) | |
| 10 | 79 | Richie Dec# | G | Cincinnati Royals | Seton Hall (Sr.) | |
| 10 | 80 | Don Rae# | F | Los Angeles Lakers | Montana State (Sr.) | |
| 11 | 81 | Bill Meyer# | G | New York Knicks | Hiram (Sr.) | |
| 11 | 82 | Thales McReynolds | G | Baltimore Bullets | Miles (Sr.) | |
| 11 | 83 | Curt Fromal# | G | Philadelphia 76ers | La Salle (Sr.) | |
| 11 | 84 | Weldon Kytle# | F | St. Louis Hawks | Fenn (Sr.) | |
| 11 | 85 | Dick Maile# | F | Cincinnati Royals | LSU (Sr.) | |
| 11 | 86 | Bob Andrews# | F | Los Angeles Laker | Alabama (Sr.) | |
| 12 | 87 | Bob Trupin# | G | New York Knicks | Yale (Sr.) | |
| 12 | 88 | Walt Sahm# | F | Baltimore Bullets | Notre Dame (Sr.) | |
| 12 | 89 | Dan Anderson# | C | Philadelphia 76ers | Augsburg (Sr.) | |
| 12 | 90 | Elton McGriff# | C | St. Louis Hawks | Creighton (Sr.) | |
| 12 | 91 | Robert McCollough# | G | Cincinnati Royals | Benedict (Sr.) | |
| 13 | 92 | Dennis McGovern# | G | New York Knicks | Rhode Island (Sr.) | |
| 13 | 93 | Joe Ramsey# | G | Baltimore Bullets | Southern Illinois (Sr.) | |
| 13 | 94 | Rick Park# | G | Philadelphia 76ers | Tulsa (Sr.) | |
| 13 | 95 | Mel Northway# | F | St. Louis Hawks | Minnesota (Sr.) | |
| 13 | 96 | Oliver Jones# | F | Cincinnati Royals | Albany State (Sr.) | |
| 14 | 97 | Jerry Rook# | G | Baltimore Bullets | Arkansas State (Sr.) | |
| 14 | 98 | Jack Margenthaler# | G | Philadelphia 76ers | Houston (Sr.) | |
| 14 | 99 | Terry Page# | G | St. Louis Hawks | Detroit Mercy (Sr.) | |
| 14 | 100 | Larry Franks# | F | Cincinnati Royals | Texas (Sr.) | |
| 15 | 101 | Dave Hicks# | F | Baltimore Bullets | Middletown Oilers (NEBA) | |
| 15 | 102 | James Pitts# | G | Philadelphia 76ers | Georgia (Sr.) | |
| 15 | 103 | George Pomey# | G | St. Louis Hawks | Michigan (Sr.) | |
| 15 | 104 | Ronald Scharf# | G | Cincinnati Royals | Georgia Tech (Sr.) | |
| 16 | 105 | Bunk Adams# | G | Baltimore Bullets | U.S. Armed Forces (AAU) | |
| 16 | 106 | Larry Rafferty# | G | Philadelphia 76ers | New York Athletic Club | |
| 16 | 107 | Bob Tolan# | F | St. Louis Hawks | Eastern Kentucky (Sr.) | |
| 16 | 108 | Willie Porter# | F | Cincinnati Royals | Stoop’s All-Stars (AAU) | |
| 17 | 109 | Roger Taylor# | G | Baltimore Bullets | Philadelphia (EBL) |
Notable undrafted players
These players were not selected in the 1965 draft but played at least one game in the NBA.
| Player | Pos. | Nationality | School/club team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jay Miller | F | Notre Dame (Sr.) |
Notes
^ 1: Tal Brody was born in the United States and became an Israeli citizen in 1970. He has represented both United States and Israel in international basketball competitions.[26][27]
See also
References
- General
- “Complete First Round Results 1960–69”. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on December 3, 2009. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
- “1965 NBA Draft”. basketball-reference.com. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
- “1962–1966 NBA Drafts”. The Association for Professional Basketball Research. Retrieved January 26, 2010.
- “1965 NBA Draft”. The Draft Review. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
- Specific
- ^ Bradley, Robert D. (2013). The Basketball Draft Fact Book: A History of Professional Basketball’s College Drafts. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810890695., pg. 96
- ^ “How the NBA draft became a lottery”. The Seattle Times. The Seattle Times Company. May 21, 2007. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
- ^ “Lakers Select Baylor In NBA Draft Meeting”. The Daily Collegian. Pennsylvania State University. April 23, 1958. Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
- ^ “Evolution of the Draft and Lottery”. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on November 19, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
- ^ “Rookie of the Year”. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 29, 2010. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
- ^ a b “Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Inductees”. basketball-reference.com. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
- ^ “The NBA’s 50 Greatest Players”. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 5, 2010. Retrieved March 10, 2010.
- ^ Robinson, Doug (September 15, 2015). “The late, great Wayne Estes … and what might have been”. Deseret News. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
- ^ “Rick Barry Bio”. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 17, 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
- ^ “Bill Cunningham Bio”. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
- ^ “Billy Cunningham Statistics”. basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on June 23, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
- ^ “Billy Cunningham Coaching Record”. basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
- ^ “Gail Goodrich Bio”. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
- ^ “All-Time Retired Knicks Player Bios”. NBA.com/Knicks. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
- ^ “William Warren (Bill) Bradley Bio”. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Archived from the original on March 4, 2010. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
- ^ “Bob Love Statistics”. basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 3, 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
- ^ “Jerry Sloan Bio”. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on March 19, 2010. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
- ^ Smith, Sam (November 9, 2008). “Hinrich injury could put move on hold”. NBA.com/Bulls. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on February 21, 2010. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
- ^ “Baseline read: Sets of NBA twins”. mysanantonio.com. San Antonio Express-News. November 15, 2009. Archived from the original on November 20, 2009. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
- ^ “Dick Van Arsdale Statistics”. basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2010. Retrieved April 12, 2010.
- ^ “Tom Van Arsdale Statistics”. basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2010. Retrieved April 12, 2010.
- ^ “Dick Van Arsdale Coaching Record”. basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on June 16, 2010. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
- ^ “Flynn Robinson Statistics”. basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 12, 2010.
- ^ “Jon McGlocklin Statistics”. basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 12, 2010.
- ^ “Bob Weiss Coaching Record”. basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 12, 2010.
- ^ a b “Tal Brody Bio”. International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
- ^ a b “Sporting Heroes for 60 Years: No. 4 Tal Brody”. The Jerusalem Post. Palestine Post Ltd. May 4, 2008. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
- ^ “Ron Reed Statistics”. basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
- ^ “Ron Reed Statistics and History”. baseball-reference.com. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
- ^ “Sports Hot Line”. The Beaver County Times. November 1, 1981. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
- ^ “Hendrickson Becomes Latest to Play In Both NBA and Major League Baseball”. WSU Cougars. CBS Interactive. August 9, 2002. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
- ^ Crowe, Jerry (August 13, 2002). “The Inside Track; Morning Briefing; New Coach Pulls the Strings in Washington”. The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved April 16, 2010.